Mediterranean Diet Basics

The basics of the Mediterranean diet can be broken into 9 important areas
of change for your health:

1. Vegetables -
This one's pretty easy. It’s hard to eat too
many vegetables...2. Legumes - Making beans your choice for
a starch...3. Fruits and nuts - Fruit is the perfect snack...4. Cereals - Whole grains are really good for you...5. Fish - More fish,
less meat...6. Olive oil - This really means eating more
monounsaturated fat...7. Dairy products - The traditional
Mediterranean diet doesn’t have
dairy products as a major focus...8. Meats - Less meat and
lean meats...9. Alcohol - There is good evidence that moderate
use of alcohol is good for you...

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D. tells you what to eat and when in order to eat healthier, lose weight, and keep it off - permanently!

With The Dr. Gourmet Diet Plan, you'll create a two-week custom meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner,
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No. 8 - Meats

Less meat and lean meats. The median consumption was about 4
ounces of meat per day. The rule of thumb is to eat red meat only about once
a week. When you are choosing meats, look for leaner cuts that will have
less saturated fats. Most recipes on the Dr. Gourmet site use 4 ounces as
a standard serving in a recipe whether it is beef, lamb, poultry or fish.

Tenderloin

Sausage

Research Articles - Meats in The Mediterranean Diet

You can read more about the science of why eating meat is still
good for you in these articles:

10 Things You Need to
Know About Reading Food Labels: There are
so many different types of foods out there that make claims about
being healthy. The term "natural" is a good example of packaging
that can be confusing. There is no regulation for the term "natural" and
you could be purchasing a food that is made with 50% lard or is mostly sugar.

Yes, You Can Eat Red Meat
(Just Not Every Day): My patients are always saying that they
can't eat healthy because they like to eat red meat. Well, I like eating
a good steak as much as the next person and I do. I don't eat red meat that
often ' probably about 5 times a month or so. I do eat leaner cuts and Dr.
Gourmet recipes reflect these healthier choices

Control Cholesterol Through Diet
Alone? Canadian researchers
assessed the cholesterol levels of 55 men and women over the
course of one year of a recommended low-fat diet designed to combine various
foods known for their cholesterol-lowering effects.

Red Meat and Breast Cancer in
Women: There have been links to
an increased risk of cancer in those who eat higher amounts of
red meat. So far this has not been shown in women with breast
cancer, however. In a study published this week a group of researchers
looked at a large number of women to determine if this might be the case.

The war on obesity is not limited
to adults: Children are becoming
overweight right alongside their parents. Since eating habits are formed
in childhood, researchers in pediatrics are examining how parents can best
help their children form healthy eating habits. To do that, the researchers
need to evaluate what strategies parents are currently using and how well
they work.

Is it "Healthy" or "Junky"? "Drink
your milk; it will help you grow big and strong," a parent tells her
child. At what age are children able to correctly classify foods
according to whether they are good for them or not?

A healthy diet helps you
avoid skin cancer: Cancer is caused
by a multitude of factors, but one that we're sure of is cellular damage
through oxidation. High levels of sun exposure causes this oxidative damage
to skin cells, which can lead to skin cancer. On the other hand, we also
know that anti-oxidants in the diet, like vitamins C and E, can help reduce
this damage.

Red meat still not bad for
you: Older studies have linked eating
more red meat with a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. But
is it the red meat itself, the higher saturated fat that's associated with
red meat, or something else?

Small Changes Can Have
a Big Impact: You probably are aware that
being overweight has a negative impact on your blood pressure, and that high
blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart attack and even death. Losing weight
is the obvious answer, but how much weight do you have to lose to make a difference
in your heart health?

What I (Un)Learned in Medical School
It was about 15 years ago, but as amazing as it may seem, I actually had a professor say, "I don't care about my diet, I'll just take Zocor or another cholesterol lowering medication and keep eating my thick, juicy steaks." This was in response to a Grand Rounds lecturer speaking about the importance of diet in preventing heart disease.